Guest Artist Playlist // Imaginary Tricks

Brooklyn-based outfit Imaginary Tricks rounded up an eclectic group of their current favorite and go-to tracks. Read through their picks below and make sure to go listen to their recently released record Skommel out via Friendship Fever Records.

“L’isle Joyeuse” by Claude Debussy: “The term genius gets thrown around too much, but with this dude it seems fit, and the beginning of the song reminds me of rain and wind for some reason.” -Mike

“Creepin” by Stevie Wonder:“because I love the tom fill at the beginning of the song, and it’s low-key Stevie.” -Mike

“Then She Did…” by Jane’s Addiction:“When I learned the bass line when I was a kid it made me feel superhuman. I love the composition too!” -Mike

“Mr. White” by Khruangbin:“Everything they do is incredibly simple and repetitive but 100% married to the groove. Haunting vocal chants gives the tune subtle exclamation points that only add to the everlasting groove” -Tim

“1985” by J. Cole:“J. Cole addresses the current rap scene while not judging the new rappers but educating them. The idea that they’re just riding trends and not working on their craft while playing into stereotypes are all touched about by J. Cole in 1985 and is probably one of my favorite songs off his new album KOD.” -Tim

“Youngest Oldest”- Slow Mass“Love this band’s last record, and cannot wait for their next one to come out.” -Sam

“Big Riff”- Cave In:“Their bass player, Caleb Scofield tragically passed away in a car crash while we were on our most recent tour. Listened through almost their entire catalogue during my drive shift that day. This song has been stuck in my head most of the time since.” – Sam

“The Catastrophist” -Tortoise“Kinda missed the boat on Tortoise for years, and only recently started really diving in” -Sam

Mikan Mukku (みかんむくっ) Kan (缶):“This is a really cool piece. It’s nice and dirty, recording-wise. You can really hear the hiss of the flexi disk/tape. It alternates between a simple melody with an cheesy synth accompaniment. The B section is comes out of left field with a really unpredictable comping rhythm behind a wacky, harsh sounding bass synth. The whole piece has almost ghost-like traces of other parts that sound like they were pushed to the back when they were bounced to the other tracks to free up space. Fun fact, Kan means Can. Like a tin can.” -Harlan